Following her comments, the police have since sent her an email suggesting her “high profile” intervention may have discouraged others from coming forward. It adds: “Due to the high profile of this matter I fear other victims of similar crimes may have read the story and now may not have the confidence in us to report such matters. As such it is really important I can understand what, if anything, went wrong during the investigation.”

Laura Palmer/NME

Allen has criticised the response. “I think it’s victim-shaming and victim-blaming,” she told BBC Newsnight. The singer is now supporting a campaign by the Women’s Equality Party and the stalking advocacy service Paladin to set up a register for serial stalkers.

Alex Gray, a man in his early twenties from Perth in Scotland, began his harassment of the singer in 2009 by setting up a Twitter account called @lilyallenRIP and claiming he had written her Number One single ‘The Fear’.

He then began leaving abusive letters at her flat, record company and a shop belonging to her sister. The harassment culminated in an incident last October in which Gray managed to enter Allen’s house and bedroom and proceeded to steal her handbag.

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Gray was convicted earlier this month (April) at Harrow Crown Court of burglary and harassment and will be sentenced in May.
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